Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

roh, Shoulder strike is present in many of the transition movements in Yang style so it will depend on your teacher's exposure to those 'subtle' points with any modern frame of Yang style. As an example, after qi shi (raise hands) and into right wards off/diagonal flying (usage and application) prec...

outsky, Sometimes I think that chi/qi clouds the issue of proper practice keeping in mind that your depth of practice will better the quality of qi. That is why is say so many times that forget about qi. It works by itself! What does your teacher say on the matter? If he taught you and you are not e...

outski,

What style of taijiquan are you studying?
How do you develop gong in your training? Per your teachers' instruction.
How many repetitions do you do daily?
Do you do individual posture training?

Bob, You're absolutely right. When it says someone has mastered 108 weapons, it does not mean that they learnt each single weapon. They mastered the principles of staff and the crossover effect of spear, halberd, etc allows for learning doing the principle with the specific weapon. If I took 1 year ...

Cesar, If Vincent Chu is lineage, it is logical to infer what he is teaching is the real stuff! Whether it is the same exact staff form as Yang Jun is the crux of the matter but is it important? Here is an idea: How many basic patterns are there? That should be a good start on determining if there w...

Hello Simon, A long taijiquan Yang form takes anywhere from 15-25 minutes (played once). There is nothing to say you cannot do it in 14 or 26 minutes. 30 minutes may be too slow and 10 minutes may be too fast, depending on the individual. Wushutaijiquan slowness should not be the goal because the fo...

To apply shoulder strike, you opponent must really want to do you in so if one is competant, then you have him! As this is close up and tight application and short range, I have not seen too many Yang style application of 'shoulder kao' strike in action and that does not mean it is nonexistant. Just...

I am a long time practitioner and knowing a little about taijiquan, most of the past practitioners (pre-Qing) tended to be labourers, escort police and others of the same lumpenprotelariet (non-examination takers) but interestingly today the vast majority of taijiquan people tend to be engaged in se...

Bob, I actually integrate other things with taiji to make my taiji more valuable. As my belly is getting bigger, I walk more because taiji is too relaxing despite the repetitions and other low intensity stuff. Form training appears to be less important for me than training gong (posture holding of v...

aikido, Many people treat the sensation of qi as special and as a result give it to much attention and degrade "sung" (postural!relaxation) or just letting go. The master being pushed by ten people may be seen as a kind or circus technique because it gives the impression that the master po...

Larry, I found the same thing when my mother died a few years ago and came to the self realization that balance is more than just walking a fine line. It is about integrating the divergent emotions and knowing that too shall pass. It is hard but according to TCM pronciples, grief and anger balance e...

Bob, In agreement. The operative criteria is under what conditions will this magical stuff work? Does it need a condition? Yes. Can anyone be taught to do it? My example (a stretch of 'light skill') are the high skyscraper guys who go traverse buildings and do the steel foundations. I am in awe of t...

bamboo, I have seen many demonstrations of that sort and they all work on the associates or students of the one doing the great deed. So I am in full agreement with the cooperative aspect because it is a good show. The reality is that is is rarely reproducible hence the state of tai chi today. I wel...

The 42 Form is a National/International Compulsory Competition form played at tournaments. It is not a fast form.
This is the 42 shi taijiquan formulated by the Beijing Sports Committee.

A great show! The sadness is that it works only if you believe! No doubt cooperation is excellent but in the greater scheme of things, the situation one encounters in life is not even close so it has an awe of not being realistic. If you believe you can learn it, then it can be seen as realistic. If...